Philippines

In support of government relief efforts, WFP is providing immediate food assistance to communities affected by Typhoon Nesat in Northern Luzon. Flooding in the wake of the typhoon has caused displacement and damaged livelihoods in several areas of the island.

The fierce upsurge in conflict in Central Mindanao in 2008 displaced over 700,000 people. Among them was Efren Canto Mayor, a farmer who was tilling his fields when armed men attacked their village and forced him to flee with his family. Now Efren has returned to the village, where WFP is helping him and the rest of the community to rebuild lives and livelihoods.

WFP is moving quickly to provide food assistance to victims of the current torrential rains in the Maguindanao province of the Philippines, where flooding has caused serious displacement and disruption to people's livelihoods. First food distributions will start on Saturday.

Inspired to make a positive change for the world in one week, six 10-year old students take the initiative to help other children living under challenging situations, and in the process realized for themselves the value of reaching out and of having their needs met.

After years of conflict, women on the Philippines island of Mindanao are taking reconstruction into their own hands. Through projects to reclaim old fishing grounds, start new market gardens and recycle used rice bags into rope, these women are leading the way towards a better future for themselves and their families. Watch video

Dark clouds hovering over and around the perfect cone of the iconic Mayon volcano. Strong rains over the city of Legaspi in the province of Albay. Flash floods and landslides across the region. These adverse weather patterns at this time of the year come as a surprise to most Bicolanos (a term used to refer to people from the Bicol region), who usually expect the rainy season in the Philippines to have ended by September.

Families in the Philippines uprooted by disaster have begun receiving text messages which they can cash like checks to buy food. The pilot project makes use of the widespread availability of mobile phones in the Philippines, which is known as the “texting capital of the world”. Watch video

Mobile phones are everywhere in the Philippines, even the slums of Manila, where people either have their own or share with others. That means the country is well suited to a new pilot project that uses text messages to distribute money earned through WFP 'cash-for-work' projects.

A cutting-edge new software package is helping rapid response teams be ready when disaster strikes. Known as DeMist, the programme simulates a wide range of emergencies, pitting aid workers in the same situations they face while responding to real-life crises.

Since a typhoon destroyed their home last year, Mildred's family has been living on a beach. Their fishing boat damaged and their savings exhausted, they had nowhere to turn. But their fortunes are changing with a programme that takes care of food needs as they rebuild their lives.